Blessing Nations

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." Habakkuk 2:14

[
[
[

]
]
]

withholding forgiveness

Joh 20:23 “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

If you look at this verse in conjunction with the parallel passages in Mark 16:14-18, and Luke 24:33-49, it’s pretty clear that Jesus was commanding His disciples to take the Gospel into all the world. So, I believe you can equate “forgiving the sins” of someone to sharing the message of Christ with them and offering them the opportunity to have their sins forgiven if they choose to trust Him.

If that is true, then “withholding forgiveness” is equated to NOT sharing the gospel with someone. Therefore, there is a lot of weight to the statement that “IF we withhold…it is withheld.”  It adds a pretty large amount of personal responsibility to the need to extend the opportunity of forgiveness to others.  IF we refuse to share the gospel with someone, we are (potentially) withholding from them the chance of being forgiven.

I personally believe that if anyone is truly open and responsive to the Lord, He will FIND a way to get the gospel to them, with or without me sharing.  However, I also know that Paul said in Acts 20:26 that he was “innocent of the blood” of all of the men gathered from Ephesus because he “did not shrink from declaring to (them) the whole counsel of God.”  So, I think that point is emphasized here in the gospel of John in that there is a very real sense in which we are personally responsible to share the gospel with those around us.

It seems pretty important here to realize the incredible hope that we offer the world in the gospel and not keep it to ourselves.

3 responses

  1. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    I do not know if I agree with that interpretation….I would need more clarification in order to understand why you understand it in this way. I do believe that sharing the gospel is important though so I am not undermining the importance…..however the thief on the cross had no time to evangelize and he is in heaven.

    Reply
  2. theearthwillbefilled Avatar
    theearthwillbefilled

    Hey Emily,

    Thanks so much for the comment. I may not have explained myself clearly. I will re-read it and edit it when I get a chance. I am DEFINITELY not saying that my forgiveness is withheld if I do not share with others. We are saved by grace through faith and that alone. Sharing the gospel does not ensure our own salvation in any way. What I think the point of the passage is is that if we refuse to share the gospel with someone, there really is a sense in which we are responsible for not offering them forgiveness. Does that make sense?

    sincerely,
    david

    Reply
  3. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    Yeah, it makes perfect sense. I have to say that I haven’t often shared the message of salvation with people. It is hard for me to put into words. I have known the gospel my whole life and yet a lot of times I have struggled to really have faith in the power of the ressurection of Christ and what that means. Two years ago I thought that there was no way that God could forgive me for my wicked thoughts and my deep despair….and my aunt, who is very wise, told me, “It’s kinda proud to think that you are beyond the power of God to forgive.” I never had thought about it that way. Anyways, that statement really helped me out.
    The questions, or doubts that often plague me are, “How can I share my faith when often I am struggling to believe what God says? Maybe it just isn’t my gift….someone else is probably more qualified… I should leave it to them. (I sound a bit like Moses when he was arguing with God about himself not being gifted with words like his brother Aaron. God told Moses that he was the one who gave people the ability to speak and that he should talk to pharoah…..Moses continued to argue with God about this. He made up a lot of excuses and made God mad….and so Aaron became the mouthpiece of Moses.)”
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
    Is sharing the gospel something you rehearse…or does the spirit lead you…Is it both? Is sharing the gospel just one message that you deliver or does the way you live your life day in and day count as a testimony ? Is it both?

    You have given me a lot to ponder. Anyways, David, I hope and pray that you and Danielle are doing well. It won’t be long until ya’ll will be able to hold your baby in your arms. That will be such a sweet moment.

    I often ask God why he requires us to have faith….

    Reply

Leave a comment